Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar with Rahul Gandhi. (File photo) Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar with Rahul Gandhi. (File photo) Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar with Rahul Gandhi. (File photo) Karnataka CM race: The six-day-long Karnataka political stalemate over the next chief minister ended on Thursday after the party said that Siddaramaiah would be the next CM and DK Shivakumar will be his only deputy chief minister.
Before coming to this conclusion, there were rounds of meetings between the top leaders. Senior leader and Varuna MLA Siddaramaiah reached Delhi on Monday and DK Shivakumar on Tuesday to lobby for their CM candidature, as reported by ANI.
Both of them met Mallikarjun Kharge separately on Tuesday while Rahul Gandhi spoke to Kharje, KC Venugopal, Randeep Singh Surjewala on the issue.
On Wednesday, both leaders met Rahul Gandhi. DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah talked to Sonia Gandhi, who asked them to speak to Rahul and Kharge. On Thursday, the decision was finalised that Siddarmaiah will be the next CM, and Shivakumar will be his deputy and KPCC head. On Thursday morning, both leaders met the top Congress leaders again.
On Thursday, DK Shivakumar said that senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called him and persuaded him to accept the post of deputy CM and work together.
"Everything is well, everything will be well, everything is going to be well. We made a one-line decision that whatever the high command decides, we will abide by it. Ultimately Rahul Gandhi called me and said that you all have to work together," Shivakumar said.
"Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called us and gave this diktat. We all have accepted, whatever the formula has been generated," Shivakumar added.
Talking to reporters on Thursday, the 61-year-old Vokkaliga leader said, “when people have given such a big mandate, we should definitely be happy and deliver and fulfill the promises. That is our main motto and agenda." “Why should I be upset? There is a long way to go," he added.
Talking about Congress’ five guarantees, Shivakumar said: “In our first cabinet meeting, we will implement our five guarantees…I’m going to Delhi. We will have discussions about the cabinet… We will do our job with unity…It’s not DK Shivakumar’s guarantee or Siddaramaiah’s guarantee, it’s the Congress party’s guarantee, we will fulfil that.”
The logjam made BJP question the internal feud and unity in the party. The Congress countered by asking whether the BJP has analysed why they lost."We are proud to be spoilt for choice - BJP should instead introspect why the 6.5 crore Kannadigas have humiliatingly rejected them and PM Modi," Supriya Shrinate said.
Even senior leader Jairam Ramesh too criticised BJP for highlighting the logjam as an internal feud.
(With agency inputs)